When You Trap a Tiger in DMPL Book Chat

Apr 07, 2022 Danielle rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade, contemporary, audiobooks-read, project-lit-mg

"When you believe, that is you being brave. Sometime, believing is the bravest thing of all."

When You Trap a Tiger is a beautiful story of Lily, her older sister Sam, and her mother as they move to the Pacific Northwest to stay with their Halmoni (grandmother). Halmoni is sick and doesn't have much time left. On the drive to Halmoni's house, Lily sees a tiger in the road and is definitely freaked out. This isn't the last time Lily will see or even interact with a tiger in the next few months. Af "When you believe, that is you being brave. Sometime, believing is the bravest thing of all."

When You Trap a Tiger is a beautiful story of Lily, her older sister Sam, and her mother as they move to the Pacific Northwest to stay with their Halmoni (grandmother). Halmoni is sick and doesn't have much time left. On the drive to Halmoni's house, Lily sees a tiger in the road and is definitely freaked out. This isn't the last time Lily will see or even interact with a tiger in the next few months. After speaking with Halmoni, Lily realizes that Halmoni once stole something from the tigers. Lily knows the only way to help Halmoni get better is to return what her grandmother stole. Lily isn't able to accomplish this on her own so she enlists the help of Sam and her new friend Ricky. Halmoni's health continues to deteriorate and Lily knows she has to act fast if she wants to save Halmoni.

I loved the magic and story from Lily's Korean background. It was interesting to hear their folktales and stories that shaped Lily's family. I really appreciated the tiger element of the story - to see tigers coming to life and talking with Lily about how to help Halmoni was a nice added feature both of Korean culture but also as a way for Lily to process what she's going through. The scene that will stick with me for a long time from this book is when Lily, Sam, Halmoni, and her mom go out to eat for lunch one day. Halmoni is struggling with dementia and she begins taking food off of other people's tables. Halmoni is well known in the community so everyone knows who she is and knows this isn't typical behavior for her. This eventually results in Lily's family hastily leaving the restaurant, incredibly embarrassed. My own grandmother struggled with dementia toward the end of life and while we never took her out to eat like Lily did, I can remember the embarrassment and looks of pity when Grandma would do something that wasn't part of her normal character. To see this through Lily's eyes brought a new awareness to how different generations handle and cope with dementia.

This is a beautiful book and one that middle grade readers are sure to enjoy. The author's note at the end of the book is just what I needed to read at the end of the book, so make sure to take the time to read that. This book will definitely be enjoyed by middle grade readers and is another fantastic addition to the Project LIT community.

TW: anxiety, cancer, dementia, death, death of a parent (in the past), grief, car accident, emotional abuse ...more

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Aug 28, 2021 Laura rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars

This is a really lovely exploration of family, identity, and loss. And tigers!

Still recovering from their father’s death years before, two sisters are moved to the small town where their grandmother lives by their mother. They soon find out it’s because their grandmother is sick and doesn’t have long to live.

I loved how the magical realism/fantasy elements were integrated into this story — it worked really well because it was so tied to the Big Feelings the main character was having. ...more

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Nov 04, 2020 Alyson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-books, 2020-21-40-book-challenge, made-me-cry

This is an excellent and unique story with powerful messages. I will be immediately adding a copy to my classroom library. If you read this, do not skip the author's note at the end!!! ...more

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